Friends and the Falls!

In Minnesota, we had a fun night at an unexpected campground. We could hear the trap shooting throughout the evening!

But the next morning, it was time to start a fun series of visits to friends from Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge who live in the northern states.  Our first stop was in Eastern Minnesota with Ginny and Wayne, our first rustic neighbours in BPKFL when we first camped there seven years ago.

This is the plate on a new vehicle that we saw when we landed in their driveway.  It looks like our van had a baby.  We are excited for them and hope they will enjoy it as much as we do ours!

Our time together was so much fun.  After dinner we walked around the town of Stillwater, Minn, and enjoyed a treat of ice cream.  The St. Croix river was lovely in the evening light.  Thank you Wayne and Ginny!

This is the bridge we crossed the next morning into Wisconsin. The ride across a new state is always interesting and even though we are moving rather quickly toward home we always find great spots to call "home" for the night.

We do seem to gravitate toward water.  Next, we went to see friends in Grayling, Michigan crossing the Upper Peninsula and the Mackinac Bridge to Lower Peninsula. 

Debby and Howard are the parents of Al who owns the park in Alaska where we spent two months this past summer as camp hosts.  How lovely to see them and to visit their beautiful home in the woods, see their vegetable garden, and get a look at a very unique boat special to the AuSable River that lines their front yard.

We have been so grateful to them for opening the door to Alaska and now we appreciate them for a lovely visit to their home.  The salad from the garden was spectacular and the muffins to "die for".  Thank you Debby and Howard!

We continued on our way toward Niagara Falls and wanted to see friends Gary and Diana, who live near Detroit. We got a funny text that we would be having pizza made by "Mama Betzolonni".  We had no idea what to expect. With them it is always a fun surprise!

And here they are...two very fun loving friends.  "Mama" and Guido!

We had another amazing visit and especially appreciated all the special preparation of food made for us. It was fun to be with you. Thank you Gary and Diana.

We have such energetic, creative and amazing people who we spend time with in the winter in the Keys of Florida.  We are looking forward to being with you all again in the Conch Republic!

Gary gave me good directions and off we went to see another special place that we had on the "must visit" list...Niagara Falls.  We crossed into Canada and eventually followed signs to the Falls.  Parking was available in every little lot in the town for ten dollars.  We parked the van and started walking.  What an amazing array of tourist "opportunities" we passed along the way.

Then,

 

as we walked down the hill toward the River, we had our first glimpse over the traffic.  What a contrast!

Here are a few of the favorite pictures we took from the Canadian side.

We soaked in all we could including the mist that came from the Falls. Beyond description!

We crossed the bridge back into the US and continued toward the Finger Lakes and Seneca Falls, NY.

I will share another blog in a few days that will bring us across New York and Massachussetts (where we are now) and into New Hampshire where we go tomorrow.  We will get to see Carrie and Jay, and give our hugs that we have been saving up for Lyla and Sari, and the whole family.

We have traveled over 22,000 miles since last fall when we left Maine.  When we return to Chemo Pond in Eddington, which I consider our starting point, we will have driven the perimeter of the US including Alaska.  

                 In the words of a favorite Louis Armstrong song...What a Wonderful World!